Soap-slabbing machine.



G. W. AIKEN.

SOAP SLABBING MACHINE.

v. urnmmron FILED 00110, 1907.

' Patented July 5,1910.

0. w. AIKEN. sou SLVALBBING momma v APPLIOATIOR FILED 0012-10,.1907. I 963,41 3. Patented July 5, 1910.

6 BESSIE-SHEET 2.

\LTJ rut NGRRI! Plrllu 20-, mlnqlyamu. n. c.

c.- w. AIKEN. SOAP SIJAIBBING MACHINE. APPLICATION FILED OUT-10, 1907.

Patented July 5, 1910.

' a sums-sum 4,

THE NQRRIS PETERS sHINGmn, n. c,

c. AIKEN. SOAP SLAIBBING MACHINE. APPLICATION FILED OOTJO, 1907.

Patented July 5, 1910.

5 SHEETS-SHEET 5.

wait

,1!!! "will: Plrtlls 00.. WASHINGTON. u. c.

UNITED sTATEsrArENnoFFIoE.

CHARLES W. AIKEN, OF WEST NEW BRIGHTON, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR 'IO HOUCHIN- AIKEN COMPANY, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK, A. CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

SOAP-SLABBING- MACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed October 10, 1907. I Serial No. 396,750.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES W. AIKEN, of West New Brighton, in the county of Richmond and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Soap-Slabbing Machines, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to machines for converting large blocks of soap previously formed by molds or otherwise, into slabs adapted to be subsequently converted into cakes by a subdivision of the slabs. The said invention was originally claimed in my application 374,855, filed May 21, 1907, but was removed therefrom under requirement of division.

The method of handling the soap, as performed by the machine to which the present invention relates, is approximately the same as that by which the machines now commonly in use operate, but the machine in the present case embodies certain novel features which facilitate the slabbing operation, and the interchangeability and adjustment of the various cutting instrumentalities by which slabs of any desired size may be formed.

The machine referred to constitutes a slabber so called because it cuts the original block or mass of soap in slabs by forcing a gang of cutting wires horizontally therethrough.

The novel features of the slabber include an improved cutting-framewhich carries the cutting wires, improved mechanism for reciprocating the cuttin frame, the main frame of the machine of which one end is always open and from which the slabbed block of soap, mounted on aroller-truck, is automatically ejected by the cutting wires during their return movement, and an automatic stop motion for disconnecting the source of power from the machine. To these ends the machines of the present invention are constructed and operated as illustrated upon the accompanying drawings, and described in the following specification.

On the drawings,Figure 1 is an end elevation of a slabbing machine constructed in accordance with this invention. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the end appearing in each side of the machine.

Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a side elevation of that portion not included in Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a sectional plan view on the line 44 of Fig. 1. Fig. 5 is a sectional plan View on the line 5-5 of Fig. 3. Fig. 6 isa perspective view of the cutting-wire frame. Fig. 7 shows the upper end of the frame in elevation and the lower end in section, showing also the application of a strut or spreader.

The same reference characters indicate the same parts wherever they occur.

The framework of the slabber is rectangular in general appearance although merely a skeleton, open at both ends as shown by Fig. 1. Suitable base portions of the frame may be embedded in the floor as shown by the drawings, so that an unobstructed longitudinal passage through the frame may be afforded the roller truck 5 on which the block of soap 500 is mounted. The ends 10 and 11 of the frame are connected by horizontal girts 12 12 and 13 13 which serve as guides for sliding crossheads 14 14, one on The crossheads (see Figs. 4 and 5) serve as a carriage for the sidebars 15 15 of a frame 16 on which a series of cutting wires 17 is strung, and are reciprocated between the ends 10 and 11 by means hereinafter described. The initial position of the cutting frame 16 is nearest the rear end 11, at which position the machine is at rest.

A truck 5 carrying a block 500 of soap enters the machine through the end 10 and is then inclosed by a gate 18 hinged at 19 and having a latch 20 adapted to interlock with a hook on the frame. The gate carries an upright bar 21 which extends from the level of the bottom to the level of the top of the block of soap, and to which is affixed a series of blocks 22 separated by spaces which register with the wires 17 on the cutting frame.

Power for reciprocating the cutting frame 16 is transmitted to the machine in any suitable way, such as by a belt 23 passing over a pulley 24 affixed to a shaft 25 j ournaled in a casing 26 on the top of the machine frame. The shaft 25 is also provided with a loose pulley 27 and a helical gear or worm 28 within the casing 26. The gear 28 intermeshes with a gear 29 aflixed to a cross shaft ets 31 31 drive the chains 32 32Vwhic'h also' pass over-the' sprockets 33 33 affixed to the outer eiids of stud shafts 34 34 journaled in bearings formed on the girts 12 12 near the end- 10. The shafts 34 34 are in axial alineother sprockfets 35 35 which are inside or between the girts 12 12. Eachsprocket 35 isprovided with a chain 36 which extends horizontally between .Oneiof; the crossheads 14114, andnj'its Zgirts I2! and. passes over a an oniithe girt ear, the end 11'.

' Referring wings.- 2, a, andf5, a will be 7 seen' that an elongated chamber 39isformed inth'eQcross'he'ad and extends vertically above ,andbelow the two stretchesof'the chain. 36.

' A; relatively narrow slot 40' aifordsjan open- 'ing fromthefexte'rior of thecrosshead to the said. chambenjfthrough which extends the hubgOf a" roller 41 occupying the chamber.

and about which the roller is free'toturn'. A similar. wconnection between the crosshead and chain36 on theother 'sideof themachine is, provided sothat when power is apgplied t'o. the machine... by the belt 23, the chains, 36,36 .dr'aw the,,erossheads slowly back and forth betweenthe ends 10, and 11, .the; rollers 41. 41 sliding up'or down'in the "chambers-'39 '39, while the links to which they are connected,pass'around the sprocketsl35 01:37.. 1 y

The cutting frame 16 andfupright bar 7 40 21 "ar e adapted to be readily attached to O1. 'detached"froniithecrossheads and gate, so-

that/others having more or less space be-' tween the cutting wires 17 may be substt tutedjtherefor. 1 The frameconsists of the sidebars 15 15 already mentioned,'and a,

cross bar 150, connecting the upper'ends thereof. Theside bars into which the tensionqpins '151 of the. cutting wires are inserted, are'adapted to be clamped by screwbolts into the angles of the crossheads which "are' -T;shaped in cross section (see Fig; 4).

7 shows the methodof holding the side lbars 15in place against the tension ofrthe cutting" wires when attaching 'a cutting frame ,to the crossheads. One side bar is provided with'a square pocket 152 and the otherban is provided with an elongated pocket 153 havinga curved inner face. Both pockets are near the lowerends of the bars and are fornied'fon the inner faces thereof. Prior; to fastening the sidebars to the cross- 7 heads, the lower ends thereof are drawn towardeachother'by the wires unless some temporary means is employed to spread 152 and depressing the other end from an When the machine is rea y to be set in operatiom'the block of soap is between the ment with each other and are provided w1thcutting frame and the gate bar 21 having sure of the soap and enable the wires to cut entirely through the soap by reason of the spaces previously referred to which permit .Thebelt 23 is provided with a shipper 421 which is affixed to one end of an axially movableshipper rod 43 mounted in'bearings 4444.,yA. collar 45 affixed'to the rod 43 is pivotally connected to one end of a bell crank 46.:which' is fulcrumed upon a stud 47. The other endlof'the bell crank is pivotallyfconnectedto a jointed rod 48 which is vertically movable in bearings on the end 10 and adapted to be manually depressed to the loose pulley 27Jto the tight pulley24. A helicalspring49surrounding the shipper rod 43 and compressed between the collar 45 andone of thebearings44 normally holds thev shipperso' asto keepthe belt on the loose pulley, but when the manually operative .rod 48 is depressed, one arm of a bell cranklatch 50 is caused by a spring 51 to snap into a notch 52 formed in the edge of said rodand so prevent the spring 49 from returning the starting mechanism to normal position. The latch 50 is fulcrumed' upon a stud 53 :and itsother arm is pivotally connected to one end of a rod; 54 whose other inclined to a horizontal position. so that the I other end may slide intoithe docket 153.

"thesepai-eited blocks 22 which resist the prsi i j the wires to enter between the said blocks. 1dlesprocket37 mounted on a stud'fshaft 38 jo'urnaled inab'earing adjustably mounted J V cause the shipper 421 to shift the belt from One of the. links of thechain 36 is provided j with acylindriclallug 42 which extends 'hori- 'zontallythrough the. center of the roller '41 end is pivotally connected to one arm of anotherjbell crank 55 which is fulcrunied I when the dog passes beneath it, as it does when the crosshead approachesits rearward extreme of movement. By reason of the starting mechanism just described, the power is automatically disconnected as explained in the following description of the operation of the machine.

Assuming'that the cutting frame 16 is at its initial position nearest the rear end 11,,

and that a truck bearing a block of soap is introduced through the'front end 10 as previouslyexplained the gate 18 is first closed and locked, 'The vertical starting rod 48 is then manually depressed by means of a' suitable handle until the notch 52 registers with the latch 50. This movement causes the shipper 421 to shift the belt 23 to the tight pulley 24, and permits the latch 50 to be thrown into the notch 52 by the spring 51, and to hold the controlling mechanism in operative position. The chains 36 then advance the crossheads in unison, and the dog 57 tilts on its pivot 58 when it engages the rear face of the latch 55, and passes under without changing the position of the latter. The dog then drops to its normal position, and the cut-ting wires 17 enter the soap, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3. When the crossheads approach the forward extreme of their motion, and the rollers 41 41 pass around the forward sprockets 35 35, the cutting wires emerge from the front end of the soap, passing between the gate bar blocks 22. Then as the movement of the crossheads reverses and the cutting wires start to return, they engage the soap again, but inasmuch as each slab of soap just cut settles down slightly when the wires leave it, the wires subsequently engage uncut places on the front end of the block, and as the resistance of the soap is comparatively great, the return movement of the cutting wires moves the entire block of soap and its supporting truck toward the rear end 11. As previously stated, the rear end 11 is always open and unobstructed, so that as the cut ting frame returns to its initial position, the wires 17 roll the soap and truck entirely from the machine. The dog 57 once more passes under the latch 55 toward the rear end, and in so doing raises the same, thereby effecting the withdrawal of the latch 50 from the notch 52 and releasing the shipper 421. The spring 49 then returns the shipper to its normal position over the loose pulley 27, and so disconnects the power from the machine. stationary in its initial position ready for the introduction of another block of soap through the front end of the machine. The latch 50 is also manually operative so that in case of emergency the starting rod 48 may be released before the completion of the operation of the machine.

The terms and phraseology used in this specification are only for the purpose of description and should not be so interpreted as to limit the invention, for there are many parts which might be conveniently varied without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

I claim:

1. A soap-cutting machine comprising a frame having an open passageway therethrough to inclose the soap during the cutting operation, a gate for obstructing one end of said passageway, a cutting-head supported on the said frame and adapted to be reciprocated back and forth in said passage- The cutting frame is thus left way, and means forreciprocating said outtinghead.

2. A soap-cutting machine comprising a frame having an open passageway therethrough to inclose the soap during-the cutting operation, a gate for obstructing one end of said passageway, a cutting-head supported on the said frame and adapted to be reciprocated back and forth in said passageway, means adapted to be connected to a source of power for reciprocating said cutting-head, and means for automatically disconnecting said reciprocating means from the source of power at a predetermined point.

3. A soap-cutting machine comprising a frame having an open passageway therethrough to inclose the soap during the cutting operation, a gate for obstructing one end of said passageway, a reciprocatory cutting-head supported on the said frame and adapted to cut through soap stationed in the passageway, means adapted to be manually connected to a source of power for reciprocating the cutting-head, and means which automatically disconnects said reciprocating means and the source of power when the cutting-head is farthest from the gate.

4. A soap-cutting machine comprising a frame having an open passageway for passage therethrough of a movable block of soap, a reciprocatory head mounted on said frame and having cutters adapted to engage and propel a block of soap stationed in said passageway, means for reciprocating said head back and forth in said passageway, and a gate for obstructing one end of said passageway in consequence of which the cutters of said head out through the soap in approaching the gate and propel the soap when moving in the reverse direction.

5. A soap-cutting machine comprising a cutting-head, a reciprocatory carriage therefor, a guide for said carriage, two rotary members, one at each end of said guide, an endless actuator adapted to run on said rotary members, a guiding chamber in said carriage extending transversely to the line of said rotary members, and having a slotted wall, a lug projecting laterally from said actuator through said slot into said transverse chamber, a member inclosed in said transverse chamber and mounted upon said lug so as to turn on the same, and adapted to be moved thereby in its guiding chamber when the lug passes around said rotary members, and means for rotating one of said rotary members.

6. A soap-cutting machine comprising a frame to inclose the soap during the cutting operation, said frame having guides, a cutting-head, a reciprocatory carriage for said cutting-head mounted on the guides, continuously-moving driving means, means adapted #150 be driven by 'saidi'driving means to. ingsaid controlling means when released, to

part reciprocating motion to said carriage inoperative position. I p 10 manually-operativecontrolling means adapt- 'In' testimony whereof I have affixed my ed torender said driving: means operative or signature, in presence of two witnesses.

5 inoperative, means for lockingsaid control- CHARLES W. AIKEN.

. ling means in operativeposition, meansactu- Witnesses:

ated by said carriagefor withdrawing said C. F. BROWN,

locking means, and yielding means for mov- ARTHUR H; BROWN. 

